10 Sure-fire Ways to Improve Your Productivity

There are only so many hours available to you in a working day. This is why employee time tracking is absolutely imperative to getting the best out of your team and being more productive. True productivity involves meticulous planning and division of the allotted work to suit your organizational style.

Here are 10 sure-shot ways to improve your productivity for a healthier professional life.

1.      Set Self-imposed Deadlines

It is common knowledge that everyone has deadlines to meet. While some people take their job to the brink, other productive individuals finish their work way before the assigned time limit. This is because they are motivated enough to create their own deadlines. What they usually do is set targets for themselves to complete within a specific period of time. If your team isn’t efficient enough to do this, you can make use of time tracking software to aid you in the process.

2.      Put Together A Solid Routine

Most efficient workers are known to be creatures of habit. They don’t entertain any unexpected disturbances and follow a present structure when it comes to their work. For instance, if they have an inbox that keeps flooding every day, they follow a particular time table to check emails and reply only during those scheduled hours. Take advantage of user-friendly time-sheet software, like Office Timer, to help you divide your day into well-defined chunks.

3.      Avoid Multi-tasking

All of us often think that we are skilled at multi-tasking, that we can juggle a number of tasks at once and still deliver. But the truth is quite the opposite. What we don’t understand is that multi-tasking kill’s productivity. In fact, psychological research has proven that attempting to multi-task can increase the consumption of time for each task thereby decreasing overall productivity. So, avoid multi-tasking at all costs. Follow a routine wherein you finish the work allotted to you before moving on to other tasks.

4.      Work In Bursts

It may seem like working in short bursts is counterproductive, but the reality is entirely different. Taking a solid break at intervals of say 90 or 120 minutes reduces the chance of stress buildup and improves your level of concentration.

5.      Be Open To Communication

Communication is of the utmost importance and is key to improving your productivity. This doesn’t mean you gossip about your shenanigans over your weekend. This means you discuss meaningful topics that pertain to work; this acts as an added encouragement and pushes employees to do things better.

6.      Avoid Unnecessary Meetings

Time is the most important aspect of your life. Make better use of it. If there is a meeting happening and if you see no point being there. Don’t go. While it may be tempting to build your network, refrain from absolutely pointless business talk. Instead, put your time to getting your work done well before deadline.

7.      Get Rid Of Distractions

With the advent of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, it is fairly easy to lose track of time. Build your resolve, whenever you feel yourself slipping, reward yourself by proving something valuable to yourself. Getting 10 extra likes on your profile image will never be as satisfying as getting a client commendation.

8.      Manage A To-Do List

You are under a false notion if you feel that a simple to-do list can make you more productive. Put some thought into it. If you have some fairly difficult tasks to handle, simplify them into smaller parts so that you can carry them out more easily. Make sure to time yourself using an online employee time tracking software to find out the amount of time you take for each task.

9.      Be Your Own Judge

When you feel yourself slacking or spending too much time on Instagram, ask yourself how productive you have been over the course of the day. If you think you haven’t been consistent enough, deprive yourself of a tiny break you’d otherwise take. On the contrary, reward yourself if you feel that you have exceeded your expectations.

10. Show Some Appreciation

Show some appreciation when you feel that you or a co-worker has done a stellar job at something. Get them (or yourself) a cupcake or a particularly satisfying lunch. This always comes back to you as it motivates you and helps you remain productive for longer periods of time.

Being productive is not just about efficient use of timesheet management software, it is also about tackling your tiny fallacies and finding ways to strategically circumvent them to suit your needs.